NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Experience It! Technology Enabled Active Learning (TEAL) for Introductory Physics at MIT Supported by the d'Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in MIT Education, the MIT/Microsoft iCampus Alliance, and NSF

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Copyright John Belcher This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Outline of Presentation Pedagogy The Classroom(s) A TEAL Mini-Class In Magnetism Student Reaction Assessment

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 The Pedagogy

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Why The TEAL/Studio Format? Large freshman physics courses have inherent problems Lecture/recitations are passive No labs leads to lack of physical intuition Math is abstract, hard to visualize (esp. E&M)

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Overview of TEAL/Studio Funded by the d’Arbeloff Fund and the MIT/Microsoft iCampus Alliance and NSF Follows RPI’s Studio Physics & NCSU’s Scale-Up and Mazur’s (Harvard) Peer Instruction Collaborative learning Students in 12 groups of 9 students each Groups work collaboratively Desktop experiments Networked laptops with data acquisition links between laptop and experiments Three students per laptop Media-rich interactive software for simulations Delivered via laptops and the Web

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 The Classroom

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Modeled after NCSU’s Scale-Up Classroom Second classroom online Fall 2005

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005

Mini-TEAL Class On Electromagnetism You will work in groups of two. Start on the Experiment, using the write-up as a guide. If you need help raise your hand and we will help you as needed. After the experiment we will ask you PRS (Personal Response System) questions about what you did.

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 PRS Question In physics textbooks you will often find the following pattern of field lines around a bar magnet. Is this the pattern you observed? 1.Yes 2.No

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 PRS ANSWER 2. No The field lines starting out nearest the north pole will connect to the earth’s magnet field, and not return to the bar magnet. It is the tension in these field lines that reconnect that makes a compass needle point north.

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 PRS Question What is the effect of the current on the compass needle? 1.The direction of the compass needle remains unchanged 2.The direction of the compass needle orients perpendicular to the wire

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 PRS ANSWER 2. The compass needle orients perpendicular to the wire. It does this because the field of the wire connects to the field of the compass needle and pulls the compass needle into that alignment. Link to applet

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 PRS Question Which statement below is true? 1. The left figure corresponds to the field configuration when the coil was attracted to the magnet, and the right figure to when the coil was repelled by the magnet. 2. The left figure corresponds to the field configuration when the coil was repelled by the magnet, and the right figure to when the coil was attracted to the magnet.

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 PRS ANSWER 1. The left figure represents attraction and the right repulsion. The fields on the left exert a tension on the coil that pulls down, the fields on the right exert a pressure on the coil that pushes upward. Link to applet

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Why is this effective? 1.Begin with theory (we did not do this in this mini- class). 2.Go to hands-on experiment with the actual phenomena under study. 3.Add visualizations that are virtual recreations of the real experiments, with the unseen added. 4.Return to theory to solidify the real and virtual experience (not done in this mini-class). 5.About one zillion times more effect than a passive theory presentation alone. 6.Understanding that this is so is not rocket science.

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Student Reaction There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its outcome, than to take the lead in introducing a new order of things. Niccolo Machiavelli

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Student Reaction 1.Reaction to first two prototype courses with 180 students each was favorable 2.Reaction to first on-term course in Spring 2003 with 500 students was mixed to very negative—numerous critical articles in The Tech and a petition signed by 150 students 3.Reaction to repeat in Spring with 500 students was neutral to positive--most start-up bugs fixed  More training for teaching staff in IE methods  More faculty experienced in teaching in this format and more teaching staff on the floor (more undergrad TAs)  Heterogeneous grouping as opposed to random  Materials better organized, fewer experiments

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Assessment Assessment led by Professor Judy Yehudit Dori of the Department of Education in Technology and Science at the Technion. Professor Dori is an internationally known educator whose expertise is the assessment of learning strategies in science and technology education We use a variety of assessment techniques, including the traditional in-class exams, focus groups, questionnaires (in addition to MIT’s CEG questionnaire), and pre and post testing. Requires COUHES approval (Committee On the Use of Humans as Experimental Subjects)

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Pre/Post Conceptual Test Scores N students = 121 Experimental group - Fall 2001Control group - Spring 2002 N students = 176

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Pre/Post Conceptual Test Scores The TEAL format produces about twice the learning gain by standard assessment measures as compared to lecture/recitation.

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Study Limitations 1.Attendance monitored In Experimental Group, not in Control Group. At end of term, 50% in Control, 80% in Experimental. 2.Experimental Group used a mix of both analytic and conceptual problems in class, Control primarily analytic. 3.Control Group pre- and post-tests volunteer basis; Experimental Group tests counted toward course grade. 4.“Teach To Test” in Experimental Group? Hawthorne Effect?

NLII 2005 January 24, 2005 Supported by the d'Arbeloff Fund for Excellence in MIT Education, the MIT/Microsoft iCampus Alliance, and NSF